Tuesday, July 11, 2017

Mount Rainier National Park's Summerland Trail is the Real Deal

. . . and you're looking down, watching your steps over the roots and rocks on the trail, because you've stumbled a time or two.

And you happen to look up and not more than 20 feet ahead on the trail, between those two trees on either side of the trail (see photo above), a black bear is walking toward YOU!

I couldn't believe it, nor was I expecting to see a bear on the trail. Maybe I'd see a bear or elk in the distance, but not on the trail, walking nonchalantly toward me! There was a fallen tree trunk parallel to the trail (almost as big as the one on the trail in photo above). Since the bear wasn't moving off the trail (still walking toward me!) I climbed and stood up on the three-foot high tree trunk. Got my bear spray, put a nervous shaky finger on the trigger valve, and watched that bear walk right by me! About 12 or less feet away!

The bear sniffed the air as it walked by me. Did it see me? Did it smell Chef Renauld's craisin/flaxseed/oatmeal cookies in my backpack? I didn't notice any direct eye contact from the bear (that I could see), so I just froze and didn't make loud noises like they tell you to. It lumbered off the trail when it passed me, and soon disappeared behind other nearby big trees. I just froze on top of that big tree trunk for another two minutes! Would it come back for Chef Renauld's cookies? Were baby bears not far behind on the trail?I thought about getting my camera out (it's within immediate reach) but opening that velcro tab makes alot of noise! I was afraid I'd scare and upset the bear into an attack mode, if I opened that loud velcro tab.

A most exciting hike! But even if I hadn't seen a bear, this hike was the best hike I've ever done in a national park (and so far that includes Canada, Peru and New Zealand). Wonderful scenery . . .

The last quarter mile of the trail was slushy snow; I opted out.

One of the hikers I met briefly on the trail explained that because the snow melts slowly, the vehicle road to the trailhead parking lot opens late in the year (usually July) and it closes the beginning of October. That's only three months or less time when hikers have access to this trail. She said that's why this trail is so pristine.

I falsely believed that if more than a handful of folks were on a trail at any given time, bears would scatter and disappear just by their nature to avoid humans (like deer and other wild animals). But that theory is now tossed out the window!